Problem is autocrats don't care about consistency at all, nor do they have to maintain an public image of consistency (maybe not just autocrats, perhaps modern

Problem is autocrats don't care about consistency at all, nor do they have to maintain an public image of consistency (maybe not just autocrats, perhaps modern politicians in general). This "if I apply the same logic to this other thing you did" simply doesn't work other than as a gotcha title for the media in opposition. Stories/opinions will be drown out by misinformation and propaganda. It's even easier especially for autocrats, because if you ask them "isn't that the same claim Western non-Han China could make about itself?", they can just pretend not hearing the question and let the ministry of truth do the work.